Manufacturers Fast-Track AI in Sales: Automation Now, GEO Next

Manufacturers Are Moving Fast on AI in Sales: What You Should Do Now

A new national survey shows manufacturers aren't waiting on AI. 91% have implemented or plan to implement AI-powered sales automation. AI-driven pricing tops the list for streamlining sales, with 4 out of 10 leaders prioritizing AI sales agents. By 2027, nearly half expect AI-optimized product listings to drive significant customer acquisition.

What This Means for Sales Leaders

Focus on AI that fixes revenue-critical work now. As Aleran CEO Alex Sayyah puts it: "AI in manufacturing sales isn't about bleeding-edge experiments. It's about solving real quoting and pricing challenges today - speeding up quoting, reaching new customers, reducing errors, and improving margins." In other words: prioritize tools that shorten time-to-quote, reduce pricing mistakes, and extend reach.

The Data Work You Can't Skip

88% of decision-makers say integrating ERP and CRM into sales workflows is important. That's the foundation for reliable quotes, clean price books, and accurate availability. Jay Schneider of B2B Squared puts it plainly: success requires alignment between people, processes, and platforms. Modernize legacy systems and data practices before you scale AI.

Don't Sleep on GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Buyers are using GenAI tools to discover vendors, not just search engines. Example: "Find the best industrial fan manufacturers in the Midwest." Your product titles, descriptions, and metadata should work for both SEO and GEO. Dynamic, AI-assisted updates can keep listings accurate, specific, and easy to surface across channels.

Move Fast on These Priorities (Next 90 Days)

• Audit quoting and pricing. Identify delays, manual steps, and error hotspots.
• Pilot AI pricing tools for 1-2 product lines. Measure quote speed, margin impact, and win rate.
• Integrate ERP and CRM fields required for quoting, pricing, and availability. Lock data owners and sync cadence.
• Add guardrails: discount thresholds, approval paths, and audit logs.
• Prepare product content for SEO + GEO: consistent titles, rich attributes, clean categories, and structured data.
• Test AI sales agents on low-risk inbound flows (FAQs, availability, reorders). Track deflection and CSAT.
• Train reps on prompt templates for quoting, cross-sell ideas, and objection handling.

Roadmap to 2027

Expect AI-optimized product listings to pull more weight in customer acquisition. Invest in a PIM, strengthen taxonomy, and enrich attributes customers use to decide. Build repeatable processes to refresh content as your catalog, pricing, and inventory change.

Key Survey Findings

• 91% have or plan to implement AI-powered sales automation.
• AI-driven pricing is the top priority to streamline sales.
• 40% rank AI sales agents as a top modernization priority.
• Nearly half expect AI-optimized listings to drive acquisition by 2027.
• 88% say ERP/CRM integration into sales workflows is important.

Methodology (Quick Look)

TrendCandy surveyed 200 U.S. decision-makers (manager and above) at manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors in July 2025. Roles spanned sales, marketing, finance, and operations; companies had 100+ employees across diverse segments. Margin of error: +/- 4.6% at the 95% confidence level.

Tools Worth Evaluating

Aleran Connected Commerce unifies AI sales agents, CPQ, PIM, digital catalogs, and customer portals with an API-first approach for ERP/CRM integration. If you're consolidating quoting and product data while adding AI to front-line sales, it's worth a look. Learn more at Aleran.

Further Reading

For context on how AI shifts sales workflows and buyer behavior, see this overview from Harvard Business Review: How Generative AI Changes Sales.